Spring motor



Oct. 27, 1931. w DE w 1,829,265

SPRING MOTOR Filed June 19, 1951 Patented Oct. 27, 1931 UNITED STATES WILLIAM J. DE

PATENT OFFICE AUBURN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK SPRING MOTOR Application filed 1m 19,

This invention relates to an improvement in spring motors and particularly in such mo tors of the type adapted to drive the propeller of a boat such, for example, as that shown in 6 my copending application, Serial No. 496,947,

filed November 20, 1930.

Spring motors comprise generally a driven shaft and a coil spring which is adapted to be tightened manually and which, when re- 10 leased, drives the shaft through a chain of gearing, the whole being mounted in a frame and capable of being handled as a unit. The spring has heretofore been mounted in the frame in such a manner that the spring, as it 15 is expanded, contacts with portions of the 'frame'and its free expansion is thereby materially impaired. The primary object of this invention is to provide a spring motor so constructed that 2 the expansion of the spring is not impeded by the frame.

A further object of this invention is to provide a spring motor, the dimensions of which are the same as those of the former type of spring motor and in which the spring is mounted above the upper plate of the frame so that its free expansion is substantially unimpeded.

Other objects of the invention will appear 30 from a consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings whichform a part thereof and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a boat in which a spring motor embodying this invention is installed; 7

Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively a side elevation and a plan view, upon a larger scale of one embodiment of such spring motor: and Figs. 4 and 5 are side elevation views on 'asmaller scale of other embodiments of the invention.

The spring motor designated generally as comprises a shaft 11 driven by a coil spring 12 through a suitable chain of gearing which will be described in detail hereinbelow. all of said elements being mounted upon a frame 15, so that the motor can be handled as a unit. The frame 15 comprises an upper plate 16 and a lower plate 17 connected by a plurality 1931. Serial No. 545,392.

ends to the area 20 of the plate 16 and the plate 17 while the posts 18 are secured at their ends to the area 21 of the plate 16 and the plate 17 Extending through the upright 19 WITT, OF AUBURN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO SHOE FORM 00., INC., 0]?

is a tube 25 which encloses the driven shaft 11. The upper end of the tube 25 is threaded to receive nuts 26 which engage opposite sides of the upright 19 and thus fix the tube in position. At the upper end of the shaft 11 is mounted a gear 27 which meshes with the teeth of a bevel gear 28 on a shaft 29, the ends of which turn freely in openings formed in the area 20 of plate 16 and in the plate 17. A gear 30 on the shaft 29 meshes with a sprocket 31 fixed upon a shaft 32 mounted in the area 20 and plate 17 in a manner similar to that in which the shaft 29 is mounted. A gear 33 on the shaft 32 meshes with a sprocket 34 upon a shaft 35 mounted to turn freely in openings formed in the area 21 of the plate 16 and in the plate 17 The upper end of the shaft 35 projects above the plate 16 and is provided with a handle 36 by which it can be rotated manually.

The coil spring 12 surrounds the end of the shaft 35 projecting above the area 21 and its inner end is secured thereto in any suitable manner. The outer end of the spring is provided with a clip 37 by which it is connected to a bracket 38 fixed upon the area 20 of the upper plate 16. The area 21 and a disk 39 fixed on the shaft 35 above the spring 12 limit the vertical travel of the spring and coact with the vertical area 22 to define the spring receiving pocket.

The sprocket 34 is not secured to the shaft but is positioned thereon between a washer 40 and ratchet 41, both of which are fixed to the shaft. Carried by the sprocket 34 is a pawl 42 which engages the teeth of the ratchet 41 so that when the shaft 35 is rotated in one direction. in the present instance clockwise, the sprocket rotates therewith. The sprocket is not rotated when the shaft 35 is turned in the opposite direction to tighten the spring. A disk 43 on the shaft 29 coactswith an arm 44'pivotally mounted on the plate 16 to form a friction brake by which the motor is held at rest when the arm is swung so that the flange 45 on its end bears.

upon the disk 43 as shown in the drawings. I

For the purpose of mounting the motor 10 inplace are provided straps 46 each secured at one end to a post 18 below the plate 17 and a strap 47 fixed to the under side of the plate 17 below the upright 19. These straps 46 and 47 have openings 48 therein through which any suitable securing means may be passed.

Since the spring 12 is mounted above the v horizontal area 21 of the upper plate 16 it can'expand freely in all directions horizontally except that in which it contactslwith the vertical area 22L' This contact however does'not materially impede its expansion because the spring is not in other directions impeded. Heretofore'it has been the practice to place the spring between the plates of the frame and asa result the spring will contact with the connecting posts necessarily present and since these posts form 'spaced obstacles,

one at each side of the spring shaft the eX- jpansion'of the spring is materially impeded.

Such impedence obviously reduces the total impulse of the spring and the length of time during which the spring imparts such im:

pulse to the motor. I p

. Figs.- 4 and 5 illustrate other embodiments of the invention which embodimentsdifi'er from those previously described primarily with respect to the'formation of the upper plate of the frame 15, for the purpose of increasing the space in which the spring 12 stepped upper plate includes a vertical area-61 adjacent the. upright 19 so that the upper horizontal area 62 merely acts to engage the upright 19 and support the arm 44 while the brake shaft '29, 'as well as the other shafts is supported at its upper end in thelowerhorizontal'area 63. The brake 43 "is mounted above the; area 63 upon the proj ecting upper end of the brake'shaft 29. In

"this embodiment the outer end-ofthespring 12 is anchored upon a post'64. 55

In Fig. 1 the motor 10 is shown secured inthe hold of a boat 71. Thehullof the boat-terminates; in flanges 72 and to the flanges are secured a bow sheet 7 3 and stern sheet :74. Secured to the side flanges be-v tween vthe sheets 73 and 74fare' split tubes 75 lupo'n which a hatch over the motor 7 and a canopy -over theseat 76 may be slidably secured.

While several embodiments of the spring imotor'havebeen shownand described as well as the use of this invention in a boat, I am not. limited thereto since it may of course be employed for other purposes and other embodiments may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim: I 1. A spring motor comprising a frame hav- .ing upper and lower plates, a shaft carried upright connecting said plates, a tube fixed to said upright which'tube encloses said shaft,

Ia gear at the inner end of the shaft between the plates and a train of gearing mounted between the plates by which the impulse of the spring is transmitted to the gear'on the shaft. 1 i

3. Aspring motor comprising a frame having upper and lower plates, said upper'plate being formed with two horizontal areas at different levels, a shaft, a coil spring mounted above the lower horizontal areaof the upper plate and a train of gearing mounted between the plates by which the impulse of the spring is transmitted to the shaft.

4; A spring motor comprising a frame having upper and lower plates, said upper plate being formed with two horizontal areas at differentle'vels, a shaft, a coilspring mounted above the lower horizontal area of the upi175 "per plate and below the upper horizontal area of the/upper plate. and a train of gearing mounted between the plates by which the impulse of the spring is transmittedto the shaft.

5. A spring motor comprising a frame havr being formed with two horizontal areas at difierent levels, a shaft, a coil spring mounted abovethe lower horizontal area of the uping upper and lower plates,'saidupper plate I per plate, postsconnecting said area with the 1 lower plate, an upright connecting the upper horizontal area with the lower plate,"a tube supported by said upright which tube en closes said, shaft and av train. of gearing mounted between the plates bywhich the irn- 2 pulse of the spring is transmitted to the shaft. 7 6. A spring motor comprising a frame havable independently thereof, means for driving upper and lowerplates, uprights connect- .ing said plates, a shaft carried by said plates, 

